Motherhood
by EE's Skysong
Summary: AWE Elizabeth only wants what's best for her son. Adulthood: 'I've never seen a boy who looks more like a pirate in my life, not to mention how sulky he gets whenever we're not at sea.' Some Willabeth
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: "Love, that is a dinghy. My ship is magnificent and fierce and huge-ish. And gone. Why is it gone?"

(An: I know that technically Elizabeth never had command of the _Pearl_, but… well… it's funnier this way.)

Gasping, Elizabeth leaned over the side of the ship. "I never got seasick, not even as a child," she murmured, wiping her mouth.

Gibbs locked his hands behind his back and refused to look her in the eye as he said, "Well, ah, Captain… it has been a few weeks since last you saw Mr. Turner."

"And…?"

Gibbs toed the ground, turning red. Elizabeth slowly turned to face him as he mumbled something like, "The sea ain't the only thing that could make you sick." Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "Captain…" Gibbs turned redder. "This is something for another woman to be talking to you about… where did Ragetti get to?"

"Mr. Gibbs, what are you getting at?"

Gibbs glanced around half-heartedly, and then he sighed. "Mrs. Turner, when a man and a woman love each other very much—"

"…Mr. Gibbs, I know where babies—" Elizabeth paused; for a moment, she looked as ill as she had while parting ways with her dinner. "Oh. My."

When Elizabeth said no more for a few minutes, Gibbs cleared his throat. "So what's our heading?"

Elizabeth took in a slow, deep breath. "West."

"West? Why west?"

"Because Jack's west!"

"…And why are we going to find Jack? I thought you were all for leaving him on his quest."

"I am… but I'll need someone to look after the _Pearl_ while I'm on maternity leave." She shook her head after saying those words and pretended not to hear Barbossa when he demanded to know why he didn't get charge of the _Pearl_.

O-o-O-o-O

"You're a talented captain," said Bootstrap, rubbing his jaw. He had developed this habit soon after Will became captain of _The Flying Dutchman_, although the starfish that once lived there now sat in his pocket.

Will shrugged, looking out over the horizon. This, too, was a recently developed habit. Every sunset was one less he had to watch by himself. "I try think of what Jack would do… and then I don't do it."

Bootstrap laughed; although he no longer looked like coral, his voice still sounded like he had gargled with it. "Always a good strategy." The glow of the sun caught a bottle in the water, making the smoky glass glimmer like molten gold. "Looks like we've a visitor."

Will glanced at the bottle without much interest. "One of many."

"Messages intended for the captain of the _Dutchman_ always find their way here…" Bootstrap commented, shooting Will a meaningful look.

Will stared back, unimpressed. "I'm not swimming down there to get it."

"That's the nice thing about being captain."

"Good point." Will glanced around the ship and pointed at a random crewman. "You. Go and get that bottle."

About ten minutes later, thanks to a reluctant sailor and a rather affectionate squid, Will had the bottle. He promptly smashed it on one of the masts, eliciting a quiet whimper from the unfortunate crewmate. "At least it actually is for me," he muttered, reading the name on the outside. He unrolled the paper, mouthing the words. He began leaning against the mast with his eyes half-lidded; he ended up on the deck, his eyes looking like they were about to fall out of his skull.

"What's it say, lad?" Bootstrap asked, looking torn between amusement and concern.

Will, who had gone a rather interesting shade of off-white, finally replied, "Is it possible to become a father when you're dead?"

"_Technically_ dead," said all of the crew in unison. To their credit, none of them paused in their work.

Bootstrap nodded. "I'd say so. I am, after all." He paused, his eyes widening slightly, and then he began that coral-gargling laugh again.

"What?" Will asked.

"Nothing much," said Bootstrap, although, since he was still chuckling, he was lying. "The Bo'sun just owes me five gold now."

Judging by the blush that spread from his cheeks to his ears, Will got it. "Well, what would you do if you weren't going to see your wife in ten years?"

"I never said it wasn't a rational course of action. I'm just five gold richer… and soon to be a grandfather."

"…But no one on the ship has any money."

Bootstrap clapped his son on the shoulder, grinning like a fiend. "It's the principle of the thing, lad."

O-o-O-o-O

William Weatherby Turner III was brought into the world in a small port village near Tortuga. "I want him to have some semblance of a normal life," Elizabeth had explained to her crew, shrugging. "Besides, I have to take care of my father's estate… I'll be back, though. And I'll expect my ship to be in excellent condition."

"_Your_ ship!" Barbossa and Jack both cried, and Elizabeth, as usual, just ignored them.

"What about Singapore? And your position as king?" Gibbs demanded.

"Singapore can care for itself, and there have only been four Brethren meetings. Ever. I think I can afford a few years on land."

O-o-O-o-O

William, now five years old, stacked suspiciously shiny blocks in a pyramid while his mother sorted through some papers. He had no idea that his Uncle Jack, who had given him the blocks, was a pirate, or that his grandfather worked _The Flying Dutchman_; he had never been on a ship in his life... Yet. "Mum…" said William, resting his head on his hands. "The other boys have been asking me why I don't have a dad."

"You have a father," Elizabeth replied without looking up. "He lives at sea."

This was something he had been told several times, but this was the first instance it didn't satisfy him. "Yeah, but they have sailors for fathers, too, and they come home… why doesn't he?"

Now Elizabeth paused, frowning at the pen in her hands. After a moment, she said, "William, pack your things."

He looked up, surprised. "But—"

"There's someone I'm going to take you to meet. He can tell the story more eloquently than I ever could."

O-o-O-o-O

"Mr. Gibbs." William looked from his mother to the man uncertainly; Elizabeth was too focused on the man asleep with the pigs to notice. "Mr. Gibbs!" She made a disgusted noise, pried the half-empty jug of rum from his hand, and dumped it over the man's head.

The man jerked awake and glanced around. He jumped to his feet when he saw Elizabeth. "Captain—er… Mrs. Turner! Good to see you again!"

Elizabeth ignored the pleasantries. "Mr. Gibbs, where is the _Pearl_?"

That apparently took some thought on Gibbs' part. He scratched his head, glancing around. His eyes widened when he saw William. "So this be young Master Turner," he commented, bending down so he could look the boy in the eye. William stared straight back, although he did grab his mother's hand.

"Yes, yes, that's my son." She squeezed William's hand absently. "But I asked you a question."

"Oh! Right! The _Pearl_!" Gibbs straightened up. "Um…" He looked out at the dock, and his eyes lit up. "It's not here, but _The Duchess_ is." He pointed at the second-largest ship in port.

"Mr. Gibbs, I didn't leave _The Duchess_ in Jack's care, I left the _Pearl_. Where is it?"

Gibbs continued to dodge the immediate question. "_The Duchess_ is one of the fastest ships in these waters, Mrs. Turner."

"Mr. Gibbs, I don't care about the values of _The Duchess_—the _Pearl_ is _the_ fastest ship in these waters. That's why I want it."

"Well, technically, Mrs. Turner," said Gibbs, backing away a little bit, "the _Pearl_ really wasn't ever yours… you just commandeered it."

Elizabeth made an annoyed noise and said something William had been told to never, ever say. "_The Duchess_ it is then, if I must." She shook her head. "Time was when you stole something, it stayed stolen."

"Well, Mrs. Turner, you did leave it in Jack's care."

"…True." She sighed. Then she boarded the ship, William in tow.

O-o-O-o-O

Five hours later found William using his newly gained sea legs to follow Gibbs everywhere. "And so my father—he killed Davy Jones?"

"Well, technically, it was Jack what did the stabbing," Gibbs said. He was grinning from ear to ear, pleased to have found a listener who didn't interrupt or groan whenever he told a story. "Your father just held the knife and Jones's heart. But it amounts to the same thing."

William considered this for a long moment. "So that's why he never comes home?" he asked in a much quieter voice.

Gibbs looked rather uncomfortable at the boy's sudden change of mood. "Ah, aye. The captain of the _Dutchman_ can't set foot on land but once every ten years."

Frowning a little, William considered this. Then he looked up at Gibbs, new hope in his eyes. "But we're on the sea right now, so I could visit him, right?"

Laughing uncomfortably, Gibbs ruffled William's hair. "I think you'll want to stick with the arrangement now, Master Turner. None of us want to meet your father sooner than we have to."

All of the crew on deck paused and spat, nodding fervently in agreement with Gibbs. Only Elizabeth stood still, watching the sunset.

O-o-O-o-O

"So if 'is dad is Will, an' 'is Grandad's Bootstrap, then wot do we call 'im?" Ragetti asked, leaning on a mop and gesturing at William. As usual, everyone but Pintel ignored him, and even he didn't bother to look up.

"We call 'im William, just like 'is mum," said Pintel.

Ragetti wrinkled his nose. "But 'is mum is the Pirate King, an' 'is dad's Davy Jones! An' we're just gonna call 'im _William_?"

"It's 'is name, innit?" Pintel inspected his nails. Usually, he at least tried to look interested when his nephew spoke, but he was feeling apathetic today. Thinking the matter closed, Pintel started picking a piece of God-knew-what out of his teeth and turned away from Ragetti.

Ragetti started to mop again. True to form, he waited the exact length of time it took Pintel to forget the conversation to restart it."'Ow 'bout Belt Buckle?"

Pintel paused, glancing over his shoulder. "Wot?"

Rolling his eye like Pintel was the stupid one, Ragetti leaned his mop on the side of the ship and looked at Pintel. "'Is _name_! For the little 'un!"

Pintel let out a deep sigh."'Is name's William, an' that's that," Pintel replied, shaking his head. "'E's five. Wot's 'e need a nickname for anyway?"

Ragetti didn't reply: he knew when an argument was lost. He waited until Pintel was out of earshot to mutter, "Well, I'm callin' 'im Belt Buckle."

O-o-O-o-O

"Wot you lookin' so blue for, Belt Buckle?" Ragetti asked, watching the young Master Turner push a few toy boats around the deck of _The Duchess_. (Elizabeth still hadn't regained the _Pearl, _since Jack was somewhere farther north, but she was doing quite well for herself anyway.)

"When Mother and I went to port…" William sighed and pushed his boats away. He was eight now and starting to suspect he was too old for the toy versions, even though his mother was still trying to teach him the ways of running an estate. "The other boys made fun of me."

Ragetti knelt so he could look into William's face. "Wot'd they say?"

William sighed again. "Well, they laughed when I told them my father was Davy Jones—sort of—and then they made fun of my pirate name!" He looked up at Ragetti, his lower lip quivering in an alarming manner. "They told me… they told me that my name was stupid and that—that my dad was just some pirate!"

Ragetti scratched his head. "Wot's wrong with pirates, eh?"

William sniffled a little. "Nothing," he muttered, "but… he's not _just _a pirate, right? I mean, Gibbs said—" A sudden frown came over his face, and he looked back into Ragetti's eyes. "He was telling the truth, right?"

Ragetti smiled. Unfortunately for Ragetti, since he was a pirate and not handsome by any stretch of the imagination, it wasn't very reassuring. "Course 'e was," said Ragetti, patting William's knee. William looked back at the ground and didn't reply.

O-o-O-o-O

"William, just because you know how to fight doesn't mean you should do it," said Elizabeth, dabbing at the cut on her son's cheek with a wet rag. William glared at his feet and didn't answer. "What was it this time?" William's frown deepened, but he still didn't answer. Elizabeth put her hands on her hips. "_William…_"

William's head shot up. "Mother they told me I was a liar and that you were just some tramp who ran away with a sailor and got pregnant and your father killed and—" He had to pause for breath; Elizabeth put her hand over his mouth so he couldn't speak anymore.

"Speak slowly or not at all, William," said Elizabeth, in that tone of voice that William had learned could never be argued with. "I understand that you're upset, but that's no excuse for a lack of decorum."

William sighed. He wouldn't have been so compliant if he'd known how much of a hypocrite his mother was, but he'd learned to never question her maxims. When he had collected himself, he looked back at Elizabeth. "I hate it here, Mother. All of the boys make fun of me, and I hate my lessons. When are we going back to sea?"

Stroking his hair, Elizabeth stared at a section of wall just over his head. Instead of answering his question, Elizabeth murmured, "What are we going to do with you, William?"

O-o-O-o-O

"What're we doing here, Mother?" said William. He was almost ten now, and therefore much too old to hold his mother's hand, but he still stood close to her. She had been acting oddly all week, and now, out of the blue, she had insisted that the crew of _The Duchess_ turn off their course to Tortuga and bring the two of them here. He'd never even heard of this place!

Elizabeth set a hand on her son's shoulder and smiled a little—she seemed so nervous! What was going _on_? "Just wait, William. I've a lovely surprise for you."

William frowned at his shoes. Usually, his mother's surprises were lessons. He'd had quite enough of that for today. Why, even as she was standing at the helm calling out directions, she was making sure that Mr. Gibbs was teaching him about the finer points of altitude and azimuth. "If you say so, Mother."

Elizabeth squeezed his shoulder. Her hand tightened almost to the point of pain as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon. There was a sudden flash of green light. William gasped. He'd never seen anything like that before—and was that a _ship_ rising out of the water? "Mother, what—"

"Shh," Elizabeth whispered, her free hand creeping up to her mouth. William glanced at her, but the ship in the distance was much too interesting. It was just so strange! Not to mention that it was heading straight for them. "You'll see, William."

As the ship got closer, William could see a man standing in the crow's nest. The instant the ship was within swimming distance, he jumped over the side of the boat and made for land. Elizabeth let go of her son and ran across the field to meet the man as he climbed out of the sea. "Mother?" William watched in growing disgust as his mother jumped into the man's arms.

…maybe Uncle Jack hadn't been lying when he said he'd kissed her…

William decided he wanted a closer look at the far-off ship. When he walked past his mother, Elizabeth let go of the strange man and grabbed William's hand. He was about to protest when Elizabeth looked at him. Her eyes were so much softer than usual. The sight shocked him into silence, and Elizabeth took his hand and tugged him over to the strange man. "William," she said in a voice that trembled, "this is your father."

(The next part concerns William's adulthood. I split it in two because it felt stronger that way.)


	2. Adulthood

Disclaimer: "He's a lot like meself, but absent me merciful nature and sense of fair play."

(An: This one's a bit shorter, but it's also a bit stupider. I could've gone into a lot more detail here, but that was how the story died the first time I tried to write it, so I decided to let a few examples stand for all.)

After conquering his shock, William talked with his father until he fell asleep on his feet. Leaving his grandfather—who was already head over heels for the lad—watching over him, Elizabeth and Will walked farther down the beach, holding hands and discussing whatever came into their heads. Their talk turned to William very quickly. "He's a fine lad, Elizabeth," Will said. "I just wish I could've been there to see him grow up."

Elizabeth smiled absently, squeezing his hand. "I know, Will. He really is a good boy." She sighed. "Although I'm a bit conflicted about his future." Will glanced at her, and Elizabeth stopped walking. They turned to face each other, and Will put his hands on her waist. "I wanted… I wanted someone to carry on Father's business, but… well…" She shrugged. "I've never seen a boy who looked more like a pirate in my life—not to mention how sulky he gets whenever we're not at sea."

Will ran his hands over her face. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that it's impossible to deny the sea once it gets in your blood. Let the boy do as he likes." He kissed both her cheeks and pulled her closer against him, his voice dropping to a murmur. "He's just a child, after all. He's got plenty of time to decide what he wants to do."

Elizabeth sighed in a way that was not altogether unhappy. "I suppose. I'd hate to see Father's lands fall into a relative's hands… but there's always William's children. _Someone_ there has to take after me."

Will laughed, and then he kissed her and there wasn't much room for more discussion.

O-o-O-o-O

Elizabeth didn't take Will's advice to heart—at least, not at first. The lessons in history, decorum, and how not to kill other dignitaries continued until William turned thirteen, when he finally locked himself in his room and refused to submit to another one. "I won't do it, Mother!"

Elizabeth leaned against the door, hiding her face in her hands. To be honest, she was getting quite sick of being on land herself; if she had to be polite to another young noble who barely waited until her back was turned to whisper about her, she was going to _scream._ Leading this sort of double life was difficult, but until now, she'd thought it was worth it because William had at least gone along with it. Now it just seemed pointless. "William, please act your age. This is something I'd expect out of a child, not out of a young man like you."

"But _Mother_!" She knew that this had to be serious: William rarely bothered arguing with her anymore. She could pretend it was an adolescent phase until she was blue in the face, but she doubted it would do her any good anymore.

Elizabeth sighed, rubbing her temples. "William." Her son stopped in mid-word. "Would you please come out of your room so we can discuss this like civilized people?" She paused, turning her face toward the door. "I… I promise, if this is really your decision, I'll listen. I just want to make sure you know what you're doing before you do it."

William opened his door so fast Elizabeth nearly tipped over.

O-o-O-o-O

Three months later found both of them back onboard _The Duchess_, for good this time. Elizabeth had passed the estate into the hands of a trusted advisor with the condition that any of William's children could take control of it once they were eighteen. She would never admit how relieved it made her, but everyone could see it in her eyes, eyes that rarely left the horizon once it got late.

O-o-O-o-O

Elizabeth crossed her arms and gave her son the Stare. At fifteen, he knew already that the argument was lost, but he had to try anyway. It's what Jack would have done. "But Mum—" Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. He heaved a heavy sigh worthy of any actor. "But _Mother—_"

"No _but_'s, William, I won't stand for this kind of mutiny from my own son." She pointed at the wheel. "Now, who's in my place?"

"It's Belt Buckle," William muttered, but he stepped out of the way and let his mother steer.

O-o-O-o-O

"You _what_? With Mistress Ching's _daughter_?" William laughed nervously and shrugged. Elizabeth threw her hands in the air and turned her back on her son. Hiding her face in her hands, she let out a deep breath and tried to calm down. "You didn't get her pregnant, did you?"

William blushed. "Mother! Of course not!" He rubbed the back of his neck. "She just… she's persuasive, that's all." Elizabeth looked at him again, raising her eyebrows. "…and I may or may not have told her I'm captain of _The Duchess_."

William was expecting a terrible backlash, but instead his mother frowned and ran a hand through her hair. "Well, that would solve all the problems, wouldn't it?" she whispered.

William blinked. "Mother?" But Elizabeth had already turned away and was contemplating the setting sun. "…Does this mean I'm not in trouble?"

O-o-O-o-O

William, now better known as Belt Buckle Turner, scourge of the seven seas and anyone who dared to laugh at his nickname, stepped through the door to his mother's quarters. He took off his hat, a gift from Jack, and inclined his head. "You wanted me, Mother?"

Elizabeth didn't speak for a moment. Running her hands over the well-carved wood, she slowly turned her face toward her son. "You've done quite well, you know," she commented. Her voice was quieter than usual. William frowned a little and walked closer to her. "I think you'll be all right."

"Mother?" Elizabeth said nothing. Rather, she turned around and embraced her son. William hugged her back, although he was thoroughly confused. His mother was always affectionate, but she'd been acting so _strange_ lately… and that was saying something.

Stepping back, Elizabeth inspected him. Then she smiled a little and said, "Yes, you'll do fine." After a moment more of smiles, she reassumed the captain's demeanor he was so used to and clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm passing the command of _The Duchess _over to you—no more gallivanting off with Jack on the _Pearl_."

She paused, and then she took the Piece of Eight from around her neck and passed it to him. William looked at it without really comprehending what it was. "And command of Singapore, of course." She frowned. "If you really must fool around with Mistress Ching's daughter, at least do it when you're in Singapore. I won't have people thinking she's using you to control my sea."

William was still staring at the Piece of Eight. Finally, after a few minutes, he managed, "…Mother?"

Elizabeth closed her son's hands around the Piece of Eight. "If you won't be my legal heir, then I at least want someone competent taking my place here. And you're the finest sailor I know." She patted his hands. "Yes, you'll do fine." She turned to walk away, but William caught her wrist.

"Mother, what's going on?" Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "You've been so distracted lately. I mean, I know we get to see Father again soon, but—"

Elizabeth smiled. "Dear boy. You're so sweet when you're stupid." With that, she strode past him. William stared at the necklace, unsure if he was more pleased or worried.

O-o-O-o-O

A few days later, William found himself standing on that same island, watching for the green flash in the distance. He felt distinctly more self-conscious this time, but at least he knew that his father wouldn't be all that interested in him until the next morning. He watched as his father pitched over the side of the boat and swam to shore, did his best to look somewhere else as his mother greeted him, and then walked over. "Hello, Father."

Will looked him up and down, and then he laughed. "Why, Elizabeth! You've broken him to bridle!" He clapped his son on the shoulder. William tugged on his ponytail and looked at his feet. He was sure that wasn't the case, but he had never been sure how to talk around his father once he'd exhausted his questions. However, he _was _pleased to see he was taller than both of his parents now.

Elizabeth put her arms around both Williams and rested her head against Will's chest. "Not exactly, dear." She looked at William and smiled in a way that he didn't often see. "I've just learned that he takes after me more than I thought."

O-o-O-o-O

When his mother told him she wasn't returning to _The Duchess_, William knew he shouldn't have been surprised, but he couldn't help it. All of the clues had been in front of him, but it was impossible for him to imagine a life where his mother wasn't constantly beside him, questioning his actions and pointing him toward a better way. He wasn't surprised at at all to find tears in his eyes as he embraced her. "Now, now, don't be that way," Elizabeth murmured, stroking his hair just as she had when he was little. "It's not like I won't see you again. But you're more than old enough to be on your own."

"Elizabeth…" said Will, his eyes on the horizon."

"I know, Will." She held her son tighter for a moment, and then she stepped back, cupping his face in her hands. "You'll do fine, William. You will." She hugged him again, and then she took Will's hand and let him lead her away.

William watched them go, and then he wiped the tears off his face. It wouldn't do to let his crew see him crying; after all, he was captain now, and it would be hard enough to make them forget that they'd watched over him as a child.

(I purposely left the details vague as to what Elizabeth did to join Will… this isn't canon anyway (since the _Flying Dutchman'_s curse gets broken if the woman's faithful). I just wanted to have some fun.)


End file.
